The Agent
by ManateeMama
Summary: Do we really know what we'd do if our backs were to the wall? Desperation is an extreme motivator.
1. Chapter 1

Brenda was lying on her back breathing heavily. Her face was flushed. She was perspiring and her heart was pounding. Every cell in her body seemed to be thrumming and her whole body was limp.

She turned to look at Fritz. He also was lying on his back and breathing heavily. His face was flushed, his eyes were closed, and he was smiling. Gradually her breathing came under control and her heart rate slowed.

Fritz turned to look at his wife. She was completely enveloped in the fog of love and so was he. He was completely transfixed by her. Finally he spoke. "Where did you learn to do _that_? In a brothel in Southeast Asia?"

"Ha! You just wish I knew the secrets of a Southeast Asian brothel!" While his question pleased her she would never answer it in a million years. Instead she playfully slapped his thigh and headed for the shower.

When the water in the shower warmed sufficiently she just stood under the spray and allowed it to revive her body. "I couldn't make a fist if my life depended on it," she thought.

Just as she was beginning to feel that control over her body was returning, the door opened and Fritz stepped into the shower. She turned to him and he put his arms around her as she took her washcloth, put shower gel on it and began washing him. Soon he took the washcloth from her and lovingly returned the favor. While he would have loved to have made the shower last even longer, the hot water heater gave up long before his ambition did. So, when he saw goosebumps on his lovely wife's body, he turned off the water. Then he grabbed a towel, wrapped her in it and gently dried her body.

Fritz finished dressing while Brenda was drying her hair so he headed into the kitchen and made breakfast. As they ate, Fritz asked, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Regain control so quickly. I still feel like I'm made of jelly."

As she got up from the table she answered, "Self control. Self control and necessity. I've got to get goin'."

Fritz's cell phone rang heralding the end of the wonderful time they'd spent together that morning. "Special Agent Fritz Howard. Oh hi, Jerry. What's up? Uh huh. Ok. I'm leaving now."

Brenda stopped clearing the table to face him. "Got a busy day today?"

"I don't know. I didn't think so but Jerry's asking for help bringing in some drug mules. I'll call you about dinner." And he kissed her, picked up his brief case and headed for the door.

Joel jumped up on the table so Brenda picked him up and held him stroking his fur. Then she put him down on the floor, made sure he had food and water, finished loading the dishwasher and got dressed for work.

She reached her office just in time to witness an argument between Flynn and Provenza. "I don't care about that. I do not want to talk to her," Provenza shouted.

Brenda was immediately jarred out of her good mood. "Lieutenants, what is the problem here this mornin'?"

Provenza saw the look on her face and replied, "Nothing, Chief. Nothing at all."

But Flynn contradicted him. "Provenza's ex-wife has called here three times already this morning looking for him and he won't take her call. So now she's bugging me."

"Lieutenant Provenza, when she calls you on your cell phone, it's your choice whether or not you speak to her. But you cannot allow her to disrupt the rest of the office. If she calls Flynn one more time I want you to take the call and deal with whatever her issue is. Is that understood?"

"But, Chief. She probably wants money and I don't have any more for her this month."

"Then tell her that and tell her to stop callin' other members of the squad. Thank you." And Brenda turned and met Commander Taylor outside her office.

"Good mornin', Commander. What can I do for you?"

"Trouble between Flynn and Provenza?" Com. Taylor was clearly amused by what he'd just witnessed.

"I don't know. More like trouble with Lt. Provenza's ex-wives. What can I do for you?"

"I just wondered if you'd heard anything about staff layoffs."

"No. Why? Is there somethin' goin' around the water cooler?"

"Yes. The scuttlebutt is that each unit is going to have to lay off at least one officer. Apparently there are serious budget cuts coming from the Commissioner's office."

"Well, they'd better not take anyone from Major Crimes. I need every officer I've got." Just the thought of losing a detective caused Brenda to start rummaging in her candy drawer.

"The rumor is one person from every unit."

"But I've only got five detectives in my unit. I need them all to operate."

"The union will demand that layoffs be done by seniority."

"Seniority within each unit, or the department as a whole?"

"Probably by unit. Taking them from the department as a whole would wipe out all of the latest academy graduates. The Commissioner will never allow that to happen."

"Hmm. I'm sure you're right about that. Do you know when these layoffs are supposed to happen?"

"Nothing official yet, of course. We might hear more at Monday morning's briefing."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait, then." Brenda was not a big fan of water cooler gossip as she didn't really think that route yielded reliable information. No. She realized she'd get better results by directly confronting Will, provided she picked the opportune time. That thought, plus her chocolate bar caused her apprehension to recede.

She heard Andy's phone ring again and then saw Provenza and Flynn arguing so she excused herself and walked up to Lt. Flynn's desk and picked up his ringing phone.

"Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson speakin'."

"Oh, I was hoping to speak to Andy Flynn. Is he there," the female caller answered.

"This is Lieutenant Flynn's supervisor. May I ask who is callin'?"

"I'm Heather Bolton. I'm Louie Provenza's ex-wife. I really want to speak to him but he refuses to take my calls."

"You are callin' a police department line so is this personal or police business?"

"It's police business, I think. But I don't want to talk about it over the phone. I was hoping Louie would meet me."

"Lieutenant Provenza is here, as is Lieutenant Flynn. Since you say it's police business I'm puttin' you on speaker phone," and she pushed the speaker button as she hung up the receiver.

"No, no. Not on speaker phone. I don't want anyone else to hear me. But since you're the only one willing to talk to me, can I meet with you? It's really important, I think."

"Would you be willin' to come in to my office to speak to me?"

"I guess so. If I can talk to you in private."

"Does this have anythin' to do with Lts. Provenza or Flynn?"

"No. I just thought if I could talk to Louie he'd take me seriously."

"All right. Come down here to LAPD headquarters and take the elevator to the sixth floor and someone will direct you to a room where we can talk."

"I'll get there as soon as I can. And thanks."

Brenda terminated the call and turned to Lt. Provenza. "What do you think I'm gonna be dealin' with here?"

"Chief, I honestly don't know," Provenza replied.

"Look, Chief. I don't know her well but she doesn't strike me as a flake, even if she was dumb enough to marry Provenza. Whatever it is, she's serious about it," Flynn added while Provenza shot him an annoyed look.

"Well, we'll soon find out. Sargent Gabriel, when she gets here would you please put her in Interview Room 2?"

"Yes, Chief."

"Thank you."

"Chief, do you want me in there with you?" Provenza asked.

"No, thank you, Lieutenant. I have the feelin' I'll get farther on my own."

Later Brenda entered the interview room where Sgt. Gabriel was waiting with Heather Bolton, a bleached blonde in her late 40's.

"Good mornin', Mrs. Bolton. I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. On the phone you said that you had somethin' important to talk to me about."

"Yes. I went to the bank this morning to get something from my safety deposit box but before I could get out of my car police cars pulled up to the entrance. I think there was a robbery there."

"Which bank?"

"Citizens First National on Figueroa."

"What makes you think there was a robbery there?"

"Well, I pulled into the back of the parking lot, like I said, and I saw several police cars with their lights flashing pull up to the front of the bank."

Did you see anything else, Mrs. Bolton?" Sgt. Gabriel asked.

"Yes. Just before the police cars arrived I saw two men run up to a two tone brown van parked in the back and one of them had a gun. I think they might have been the robbers."

"Did you see their faces? Could you identify them?" Brenda asked.

"I didn't see them clearly because they had baseball caps pulled down over their faces. I gave a description of them to a police detective. But there's something else. And I think it might be very important."

"What is that, Mrs. Bolton," Brenda asked.

"Before I tell you, is there any way the police could come back on me for this?"

"Everythin' you say here is completely confidential," Brenda replied knowing full well that Buzz was taping and that other detectives were probably watching.

"There was another man who walked up to the van and was talking to the driver. He was wearing a badge on his belt. And when he was finished he walked right past the robbers. He didn't try to stop them, he just walked right past them and up to the front door and went into the bank."

"Do you think he saw the gun?"

"Well, he must have. I saw it and he was closer to them than I was."

"What kind of a badge was he wearin'?" Brenda hoped an LAPD officer hadn't gone bad.

"It wasn't an LAPD badge. I definitely know what that looks like since I was once married to Louie. No. It was quite a bit smaller. Kind of shaped like a shield. Not shaped like LAPD badges are."

"Can you describe him, Mrs. Bolton? Was he wearin' a uniform?" Brenda was relieved.

"He was around six feet, had short salt and pepper hair and he was wearing a gray suit. I got a good look at him."

"Did he see you?"

"No. I don't think so. I was driving my husband's truck. It has tinted windows so I don't think he saw me."

"Mrs. Bolton, if I were to show you pictures of various badges do you think you could identify it?"

"Maybe."

"Would you excuse me, please. I'll see if I can get some pictures of badges for you to look at. While I'm gone would you please give Sgt. Gabriel as detailed a description of the robbers as you can remember? Thank you." Brenda left her with Sgt. Gabriel and walked into the Murder Room.

"Lieutenant Tao, could you get me pictures of all of the badges of all law enforcement agencies, security firms, and armored car companies operatin' in the Los Angeles County area? And make them as close to their actual size as you can."

"Sure, Chief," Lt. Tao replied.

"And bring them to me in Interview Room 2 as soon as you can. Thank you," Brenda said and headed back into the interview room.

"Mrs. Bolton, did you tell anyone else about what you saw?" she asked.

"I talked to a Detective Ross. He told me that two people were shot and one was killed. I described the robbers to him. But when I tried to tell him about the man with the badge he cut me off and told me to just answer his questions. So I couldn't tell him everything. That's why I called Louie. I thought it might be information that the LAPD should have. I don't know why no one wanted to hear about this."

"I want to hear about it, Mrs. Bolton," Brenda replied.

Just then Lt. Tao knocked on the door and handed Brenda several pieces of paper each with the picture of a different badge.

"Now, Mrs. Bolton, I'm going to show you some pictures of different badges and I want you to look at them very carefully and tell me if any one of them looks like the badge you saw this mornin'. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, of course." And she took the stack of papers. When she turned the pages and got to the LAPD badge she looked at it she said "No, it's not this one. I'd know this one anywhere. It was smaller and not shaped like this one at all." and she set the picture of the LAPD badge to one side and concentrated on the rest. When she came to the FBI badge she stopped and said "I think this is it. It's the same size and shape but the one that the man was wearing was on something black like a piece of leather or something."

Brenda was surprised. "Are you sure about that, Mrs. Bolton? Look at all of them very carefully."

Heather looked at them all and said, "Yes, I'm sure. It's the same size and shape. This is it, except for the piece of black."

"How can you be sure about the black piece?" Brenda asked.

"Because he was wearing a gray suit. The black piece stood out."

"Mrs. Bolton, I need to call someone to join us. It might take a few minutes for him to get here."

"Well, ok. As long as I can get home before my kids get out of school."

"We'll try to get you out of here as quickly as we can," Brenda assured her and excused herself.

She then went into her office, closed the door and called Fritz. "Hi, Fritzi. Are you busy right now?"

"I just got back to the office. Why?" he replied.

"Because I have a woman in my interview room who is a witness to a bank robbery this mornin' and her statement may implicate an FBI agent."

"Implicate an FBI agent how?"

"She says he was talkin' to the getaway driver and he was wearin' an FBI badge. How quickly can you get over here?"

"I'm on my way," and Fritz put his jacket back on and left. Brenda met him in the hallway and briefed him on Heather's statement before going into the interview room.

When they entered the room Heather looked at Fritz and said, "No, it's not him. He's too young and his hair is too long and too dark. He's about the same size though." Her eyes went to Fritz's badge and said "But that's the same badge. I'm sure of it."

"No, I know it's not the same man. This is Special Agent Howard. He's with the FBI. Would you mind tellin' him what you told me?"

So Heather repeated her story. When she finished, Fritz turned so that Heather could get a very clear look at the badge and asked, "Are you absolutely sure this is the same badge, Mrs. Bolton?"

"I wasn't close enough to read what it said but it's the same size and shape and it's on a piece of black leather. So, yes. It's exactly like the one I saw."

Brenda and Fritz exchanged glances and Brenda said, "Mrs. Bolton, we need to do some work on what you've told us. I'm gonna let you go now but I'm sure I'll need to talk to you again. And we may need you to come in and look at a lineup."

"Yes, certainly. I'm willing to help all I can. But do I have to be in the same room with the men in the lineup?"

"No, you'll just be watchin' them on a monitor."

"That's a relief. You can call me anytime. I gave Sargent Gabriel all my information. And, of course, Louie has it too."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Bolton, and please don't mention this to anyone else you may talk to. Sargent Gabriel will see you out now." And with that Sgt. Gabriel walked Heather Bolton to the elevator as Brenda and Fritz walked back to her office."

"Well, do you think she's credible?" Brenda asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. She sounded very credible to me," he replied as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "I need to brief Dave about this," he said as he punched his boss' number.

While Fritz was on his cell phone Brenda called Taylor. "Commander Taylor, is Robbery Homicide investigatin' a bank robbery at the Citizens First National Bank on Figueroa this mornin'? I see. Was there an FBI agent also involved in your investigation? What's his name? Thank you, Commander. I'm not sure. Thank you." Brenda hung up the phone quickly to avoid any more of Taylor's questions.

"Dave wants me to gather all the information we can and then report back to him," Fritz said.

"Taylor confirmed that there was a robbery at that bank this mornin'. A teller was killed and a bank guard was also shot. And that an FBI agent was there, an Agent Joe Barnhill."

"Oh, no. I know him. He does fit the description and I think he's having financial problems."

"Serious enough to cause him to rob a bank?"

"Maybe. His wife needs experimental surgery that's not covered by insurance. Look, before we go any farther we need to work out a plan on how we're going to handle this."

"Well, right now this is Robbery Homicide's case. But I think I can get Will to reassign it to Major Crimes."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Easy. If I tell Will that you're involved he'll be sure to assign it to me because..."

"Because he's sure we'll fight and he's still hoping to cause trouble between us," Fritz finished her sentence.

"More like trouble for the FBI. He is jealous of the reach and influence of the Bureau. He always has been. You know that. So we've got to come up with a good plan before I go to him with this information. And I want to make sure I won't do a lot of work only to have the FBI come swoopin' in and steal the murderer away from me." So they sat down in Brenda's conference room and developed a plan which would allow her to investigate the murder of the teller and solve the robbery while allowing Fritz to take the lead on the possible involvement of an FBI agent. Then she called Will and asked that he and Taylor meet them in the Electronics Room while Fritz updated his boss.

They all watched the interview of Heather Bolton. After viewing the tape and hearing that an FBI agent was, indeed, involved in the investigation, Will turned to Com. Taylor and asked "How long have you been investigating this gang?"

"Three months. A total of seven robberies. But I'm not sure I'd call it a gang. There are always just two robbers and the getaway driver."

"And has the same FBI agent been involved in each investigation?" Fritz asked.

"No. Just the last two."

"Have there been any other killin's?" Brenda asked.

"No. This is the first time."

"So, they're escalatin'," she observed.

"Agent Howard, are you officially involved on behalf of the Bureau?" Will asked.

"Yes. I spoke to my supervisor and, as of half an hour ago, I'm taking the lead. But before we go any farther I need to tell you that if a federal agent is involved the Bureau will be taking this one."

"All right. This is what we're going to do," Will said, "Major Crimes is taking over this case as of now. Chief Johnson, you are to work with the Bureau. But your primary goal is to investigate this as a homicide."

"Chief, my boys have been working this case for three months now. I don't think..."

Will interrupted him, "After three months it's time to pass the baton to another team."

"Thank you, Chief Pope. Commander," Brenda said and she and Fritz left the Electronics Room. As they walked back to her office, Brenda said, "See? What did I tell you?"

"I guess a little jealousy can be useful," Fritz chuckled.

"If it's properly managed."


	2. Chapter 2

Seated back in Brenda's office, Fritz made a quick call to Dave to let him know that Major Crimes had taken over the case and that Joe Barnhill was on site at the last two robberies.

"Keep me advised at every step, Fritz," Dave requested.

"Will do."

Brenda and Fritz then mulled over their options. "I think we need to see if Heather Bolton can positively ID Agent Barnhill. I'm going to see if I can get a DMV photo to show her," and she picked up her phone and called Lt. Tao again. "Lieutenant, would you please pull up the DMV photo of a Joe Barnhill and bring it to me? Thank you."

A moment later, Lt. Tao knocked on her office door and handed her photos of twenty-three men named Joseph Barnhill. She showed them to Fritz who pointed out Agent Barnhill. She put that photo in her purse and they headed out the door.

As they walked through the murder room, Brenda asked Lt. Provenza, "Has the information on the bank robberies come up yet?"

"Not yet, Chief," Provenza replied.

"Well, I want everythin' on those robberies on my desk when I return."

"Yes, Chief."

In the car, Fritz was unusually quiet so Brenda asked, "Are you havin' a hard time with this?"

"Yeah, I am. Joe Barnhill was a big help to me when I arrived in LA. And when I went into rehab he knew I didn't have any family here so he visited me every week. When I told him I was getting ready for discharge he printed out the place and times for every AA meeting he could find. And he didn't stop there. For the first month he drove me to a meeting every night and waited in the parking lot for me. Just the thought that I could possibly investigate him for something crooked makes me sick at my stomach."

"I'm sorry, Fritzi," Brenda said as she pulled up in front of the Bolton home. "Would you like me to go in by myself. It shouldn't take long. I'm just gonna see if I get a positive ID. That's all."

"Maybe you'd better. I'm not sure I can keep my expression neutral if she gives you the ID."

"Ok. I'll be right back," Brenda replied quietly.

A few minutes later she returned to the car. Fritz knew by her expression exactly what she was going to say and he felt like throwing up.

"Well, she definitely ID'd him."

Back in Brenda's office, Fritz said, "Look, I'm not trying to deliberately slow-walk this but I'd like to find out if he could have been working with an undercover operative before we go any farther. I think I need to go back to the office and check with Dave."

"All right. I'll go through this box of information while you're gone," Brenda replied. But before she tackled the box of information and evidence she called Det. Sanchez and asked him to get an update on the condition of the guard who was shot.

A few minutes later, Det. Sanchez knocked on her door and said, "He's out of surgery and it looks like he's going to live."

"Well, that's one piece of good news. Thank you, Detective Sanchez."

* * *

Fritz knocked on Dave Martin's door. He was waved in so he sat down in front of his boss and updated him on the positive ID Brenda had just obtained.

"That does not sound good, Fritz. What is your next move?"

"Before we go any farther along this Joe Barnhill path, I need to know if he could possibly have been working with an undercover informant," Fritz replied.

Dave turned to his computer, pulled up a few screens, and then said, "He's not working with any undercover operatives now and only working with one CI. A woman on the Blue Portfolio Securities case."

Fritz let out a sigh. "I was hoping that this would have a logical explanation. But it doesn't look good. Listen, you know how much help Joe has been to me in the past. So I'm having a hard time being objective about this. Is there any way you could assign this to another agent? I promise you that Brenda will work with anyone else you assign, provided she's allowed to pursue the murderer. And it doesn't look like Joe was the killer."

"Fritz, I wish I could. I know this is rough. If I had anyone else that I could trust with this, believe me, I wouldn't assign this to you. But I don't have a choice. You are my best agent."

Fritz just nodded his head.

Dave continued, "Look, I'll help you all I can. Just keep me informed every step of the way. And it might help you if you let Brenda take the lead and do as much of the investigation as possible."

Fritz smiled weakly and replied, "Did you just hear yourself?"

"I know, I know. But these are special circumstances for both of us. I like Joe too, you know."

"Ok," Fritz nodded. I'd better get back over to the LAPD," and Fritz left feeling just as bad as he did before talking to Dave.

* * *

Will Pope entered Brenda's office and asked, "What have you discovered?"

"I got a positive ID on Agent Barnhill from the witness. Now I'm goin' through Commander Taylor's information to familiarize myself with the entire case."

"Where's Fritz?"

"He went back to his office to meet with Dave Martin and to see if he can get more information."

"Look, Brenda, I know it looks like I assigned you to this case just because Fritz is representing the Bureau..."

"Oh, no. I didn't think that at all, Will." Brenda interrupted him, keeping her face neutral.

"Well, good. But that's what Taylor thinks."

"Speakin' of Commander Taylor, I'm probably gonna need to ask him some questions about this case and he seems to be pretty upset about this."

"Don't worry about Taylor. I've already told him that I expect him to cooperate fully with the investigation."

"Then I think I'll ask him and Det. Ross to join us." she said.

"I don't think you need me for that."

"I don't think so either. When I said 'us' I meant my team." Brenda smiled at him.

"Oh, of course." Will looked embarrassed. Then he rose and left her office.

Brenda then called Com. Taylor and asked if he and Det. Ross would join her in the Murder Room. Meanwhile her detectives were wondering out loud what was going on and why she was only asking for small bits of help from them. But their questions were soon answered because Brenda brought the box into the murder room and addressed the detectives.

Just as Taylor and Ross entered the Murder Room, Brenda said, "We've been assigned to take over a case from Robbery Homicide so I'd like Commander Taylor and Detective Ross to present the case to us all. Commander, the floor is yours." and she took a seat beside Lt. Tao.

"Yes, thank you, Chief Johnson. The same three men have apparently robbed seven banks over a three month period. The most recent robbery was this morning. They have always used the same M.O. Two men enter the bank while one man waits in the getaway car, an older Ford paneled van. One of the robbers presents a note to the teller saying he's got a gun and orders everyone in the bank to lie down on the floor while the second man jumps the counter and takes all the money from the cash drawers. They never touch the marked money. Then they leave."

Sanchez asked, "Is only one of the robbers armed?"

"Only one gun is ever shown. We don't know if the other one is armed or not. But here's the thing. The shooter was the one who jumped the counter, not the one who says he has a gun."

"Do they wear any kind of disguise?" Flynn asked.

"No. They wear long billed baseball caps pulled down over their faces. They seem to know where the security cameras are because we've never been able to get a look at their faces."

"What went wrong this time?" Brenda asked.

"Well, one of the tellers moved to push the alarm button and the robber behind the counter shot her at point blank range. She died immediately. He then shot the security guard who reached for his gun when the robber fired. None of the people inside the bank saw more than the one gun.

"How much money did each robbery net?" Det. Gabriel asked.

"Each robbery was around $20,000. Not a record breaking amount. But, like I said, they avoid the marked money."

"Do you have any suspects?" Provenza asked.

"Not yet."

"What about the van? Any leads there?" Sanchez asked.

"No license plate but security cameras show a two tone brown Ford van leaving at each of the first six robberies. Nothing today."

"Well, we have an eye witness who saw the getaway van this mornin'. It sounds like the same one," Brenda added.

"Oh? Did this witness see anything else?" Det. Ross asked.

This question irritated Gabriel so he said, "You interviewed her, Detective. She gave you a partial description of the robbers in addition to saying that the driver of the van was probably a tanned white or Hispanic male and was wearing a red plaid or print shirt."

"Oh," was all Det. Ross could think to say.

Brenda asked, "Did anyone inside the bank get a look at their faces."

"Apparently not. They all said that they kept their faces down and the bills of their hats blocked their view." Det. Ross added.

"Lts. Flynn and Provenza, I think we need to reinterview each of the witnesses. Can you get everyone who was inside the bank in here, please?"

"You got it, Chief," Flynn replied and Provenza nodded.

"Commander, the security guard has a Hispanic name. Does he speak English?"

"He was unconscious, Chief. We never got to ask him any questions."

"All right. Detective Sanchez, would you interview him as soon as he's able to talk to you?"

"Lieutenant Tao, would you take a look and see if anyone with a history of bank robberies was released from prison just before the date of the first robbery. Go back six months before the first one. And Sargent Gabriel, please start checkin' into the finances of everyone on that list. We need to find these people before they kill again."

"Yes, Chief," Tao and Gabriel both replied.

At that point, Fritz entered the Murder Room. Brenda turned to Taylor and Ross and said, "Thank you, gentlemen," and walked back to her office with Fritz as her detectives got busy.

When Brenda shut the door to her office she asked if Agent Barnhill could have been working with an undercover agent or a CI.

"Apparently not. He is only working with one CI and that's a woman who is working on a securities swindle."

"Ok. I'm not sure how much helpful information Robbery Homicide collected on the robbers but I think I need to finish goin' through it. And I've got my team workin' on ID'in' them and findin' the van. I have Gabriel checkin' the finances of anyone who might show up but I didn't include Barnhill. So far if my squad knows anythin' about him they're not sayin'. But I'm not sure how long that will last."

"Yeah, I know. I asked Dave to reassign this case but he refused. But he did suggest that you take the lead as much as possible."

"Oh, really? Ok. That's good to know. I think now I need to look at all the robbery footage Commander Taylor brought in. Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Sure. Let's go," Fritz replied as Brenda picked up the phone and asked Buzz to queue it up for them.

As they watched the monitors, Fritz commented, "It sure looks like the same two men at every job."

"I wish we could get a look at their faces," Brenda commented, "I think I'd like to take a look at the murder scene."

"And I'd like to see the back of that parking lot," Fritz added. "How about I pick up Heather Bolton and have her show me exactly where each of the vehicles were while you're inside?"

"Ok, fine. Buzz, would you please go along and film everythin'? And Lieutenant Tao, I need you to tape the witness interviews."

Yes, Chief," Tao nodded.

"Sure," Buzz said.

"Let's go," Fritz said and pulled out his cell phone while Brenda dug out Mrs. Bolton's contact information for him.

While Brenda examined the murder scene Fritz parked his car in the exact space Mrs. Bolton said she had occupied. She pointed out where the getaway van was parked and he noted that he could clearly see everything that Mrs. Bolton said she had witnessed. Meanwhile Buzz filmed everything Mrs. Bolton pointed out.

When they arrived back at the LAPD, Lt. Provenza spoke up. "Chief, we've reinterviewed all of the witnesses to this morning's robbery and no one seemed to have seen the robbers' faces. We're now calling in all of the witnesses to the previous robberies but it's going to take some time."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Brenda said as she turned to Lt. Tao, "Lieutenant, how are we comin' on that list of recent releases?"

"I put a copy of it on your desk, Chief, and Gabriel is going through their finances now."

"So far nothing is connecting with me. But I've just gotten started," Gabriel commented.

"Ok, thanks. Keep workin'. Lt. Tao can help you. That'll save some time," and she and Fritz walked back into her office.

"Let's look at this list together. Maybe a name will jump out at me," Fritz suggested. So Brenda gave him half the list and they both busied themselves with studying it. After reviewing all of the names, Fritz said, "Well, I don't recognize any of the names. Maybe Dave would, though. I think I'd like to give him a copy of the list."

"Ok. I'll bet that our suspects are somewhere on this list." Then she changed the subject. "Are you gonna interview Joe Barnhill?"

"I guess I have to. But I'm actually trying to decide if I should do it or if you should. I have a personal relationship with him but you're a better interrogator."

"I'll leave that decision up to you. But I think he could hold the key to findin' the killers so I don't want to wait much longer. It's late and right now I'm exhausted and I'm hungry. There doesn't seem to be anythin' more I can do until Gabriel finishes checkin' the financials and Dave sees the list. So let's go home."

That night Fritz got very little sleep. He kept tossing and turning. In the morning he told Brenda that he was going into the office to see Dave and show him the list.

"Good morning, Dave. Got a few minutes?"

"Sure. Come on in," he replied.

"Major Crimes made a list of all recent prison releases. I didn't recognize any names so I wondered if you'd take a look and see if you do."

Dave looked at the list and said, "No, I don't recognize any of these names." Then he looked up at Fritz. "You look terrible. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No. I kept thinking about Joe's situation. I thought about his wife desperately needing an expensive operation that he couldn't afford and that insurance wouldn't cover." Fritz halted a moment, sighed, and then continued, "I kept thinking what if that were Brenda? Would I be tempted to do the same thing? To save her life?"

"Fritz, I know you. You are a decent and honorable man. You would never commit a robbery," Dave stated emphatically.

"Dave, I have to tell you that I think I would. I love Brenda more than anything in this world. I couldn't just watch her die. And if my back were to the wall and it was the only way to get the money, I think I would."

"I know you too well, Fritz. You wouldn't. You couldn't."

"Even if it meant a long prison sentence. If that were the only way to save her life, I would do it."

Dave didn't say anything. He just looked at Fritz. It was evident to Dave that he was tormented by Joe's situation.

"That's why I'm asking again that you reassign this case. If Joe did it out of desperation to save his wife's life, I don't think I can arrest him," Fritz was pleading.

Dave studied Fritz for moment then sighed and said, "All right. This is what we'll do. I need you to continue this investigation. And if it has to end with Joe's arrest, I don't want the LAPD to arrest him. I'll arrest him myself. And then we'll see what we can do to raise his bail money and get him the best lawyer possible."

Dave saw that this plan wasn't providing much relief to Fritz so he continued, "Look, Fritz. If he got involved with bank robberies, even if his back was to the wall, he knew what the outcome was bound to be. He is too smart to think that he wouldn't get caught and go to prison. If he's guilty he's waiting to be caught."

He knew Dave was right so he nodded and left for the LAPD to brief Brenda.

Fritz saw the annoyed expression on Brenda's face and added, "Whether I arrest him or Dave does, our plan is still in effect. Nothing has really changed," he explained.

"All right. But I don't mind tellin' you that I don't feel comfortable with Dave buttin' in on my case."

"_Our_ case, Brenda. It's a joint LAPD/FBI investigation. Remember? And you'll see that Dave is reasonable."

"Oh, I like him as a person. But I just don't know if I can trust him."

"You can trust him. He's trusting you. Remember, he told me to let you take the lead. He's not out to sabotage your case."

"Ok. I guess the next thing to do is get Mr. Barnhill in for an interview. Do you want to call him or should I?"

"Why don't you do it? No, wait. He'll think it's funny that since I'm involved that I'm not talking to him. I'd better do it." And Fritz picked up his cell phone to call Joe Barnhill. But there was no answer so he called Dave and found out that Joe didn't come into work today because his wife was having surgery.

"Ok, Dave. Brenda feels that we need to interview him in order to ID the other three. I don't think we can wait much longer. Hold on a minute." Fritz put his hand over his phone and relayed this information to Brenda. "I'd like to give him enough time to be at his wife's side when she wakes up. Can you wait that long?"

Brenda didn't want to wait but the look on Fritz's face made her sigh and say, "Ok. I can wait a few more hours."

Fritz relayed that information back to Dave who was in agreement. "Let's see if Gabriel and Tao found anything interesting in the financials," he suggested so Brenda called Gabriel who came into her office with a notepad.

"Chief, I think you'll find this interesting. One person on our list, a Bobby Gant, deposited $5,000 in cash to his account the day after the first robbery, and a similar amount after each of the next five robberies. No action after yesterday's, though."

"Ok, have Mr. Gant picked up so we can have a little chat about his new-found financial security. And I think this just might get us a warrant. Call for one. Search his house and car too."

"Yes, chief."

When Mr. Gant arrived Gabriel told Brenda, "We found another $4,800 under the driver's seat of his van and a shirt that matches Mrs. Bolton's description. But no gun or weapons of any kind."

"Thank you, Sgt. That just might give me the leverage I need." And she turned to Fritz. Do you want to come with me?"

"No. I think I'll watch from the Electronics Room. If I need to I'll come in but saying I'm FBI might not be the best thing to do right now."

"Ok. Sargent, let's go find out the secret to Mr. Gant's financial success. Shall we?"

"After you, Chief."

Brenda complimented Mr. Gant on his dark tan and he said he worked for a landscaping firm. Initially they got nowhere with him until Brenda said that the money they found under the front seat of his car was marked and that they'd just identified it as money taken in yesterday's robbery. At that point he invoked his right to counsel but quickly revoked when Brenda hinted at the possibility of a deal which would allow him to avoid the death penalty if he cooperated. It was then that he admitted to being the getaway driver.

"Look, no one was supposed to have a real gun. It was supposed to be fake. I had no idea someone had been shot until I saw it on the news later on."

"A DDA will only make a deal if you give us the names of your three accomplices. So, who are they?"

Bobby hesitated, then said, "Three accomplices? There were only two who did the robbery. Lonnie Coburn and Tom Wahl."

"Now, see? That kind of lie is just the thing to get a needle in your arm, Mr. Gant. I know there was a third man helpin' you."

"What do you mean? Are you talking about Joe?"

"Who is Joe?"

I don't know his last name. He knows Tom, though."

"How did he help you?"

"He said he could help us not get caught. See, by staying away from the money with the dye our take wasn't as large so we had to do more jobs. He said that if he was an equal partner he'd help us not get caught."

"And how could he do that?" Gabriel asked.

"He works for the FBI."

When Fritz heard this he stepped out into the hall, called Dave and let him know what had just happened. And he asked Dave if he had an update on Joe's wife.

"She's in recovery and Joe is with her. He thinks she'll be back up in her room in a couple of hours."

"Ok. I'm not sure how much time beyond that we can give him."

"He's not a flight risk, Fritz. He isn't going to leave his wife's side."

"Hopefully the LAPD will catch the other two and process all three. That will give Joe more time with his wife."

"Let me know and I'll go to the hospital and arrest him." Dave added.

"Let me see how things go here first. I'll be in touch," and Fritz ended the call.

Brenda had left the interview room and had asked Lt. Tao to get her pictures of the men Bobby Gant had just implicated. She then took pictures of all three men back into the interview room and got a positive ID's on all three men. She arrested him for the robberies and told him that she'd contact the DA's office to see about his deal. Then she went into the Murder Room and ordered that the other two robbers be picked up and their homes searched as well.

Fritz was waiting for her back in her office. "Joe's wife is out of surgery. Dave says she'll probably be back up in her room in a couple of hours. I want to give him as much time as I can with her."

Brenda nodded and said, "Before he's arrested I want to interview him. I want a confession."

"You agreed to let the FBI handle him, Brenda."

"I know. I'm not gonna arrest him. But his confession makes my case air tight. If you think you can get him to confess you can do it."

"Since Dave is going to be the one arresting him it's his call. I'm not sure he'll agree to bring him over here."

"Then I'll go to the FBI office." Brenda was adamant.

"I'll talk to Dave about it. Just remember, though, that it's his call."

Then they left to get something to eat with an agitated Brenda complaining all the way to the elevator about the "stupid FBI way," and Fritz rolling his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Fritz used Brenda's office line to call his boss. "Dave, this is Fritz. I'm at the LAPD with Brenda and you're on speaker phone so we can both talk to you.

"Fine. Hello, Brenda. Congratulations on ID'ing the robbery ring so quickly. Have you made all of your arrests yet?" Dave asked, trying to keep his voice as cordial as he could.

"Not yet. We arrested the getaway driver and he ID'd the robbers so we're roundin' them up now. But I have some concerns."

"What concerns?" Dave asked.

"The driver definitely implicated Agent Barnhill and I would like to interview him."

"I thought we had an agreement that arresting a federal agent would be the FBI's job." Dave reminded her.

"We do, Dave. She doesn't want to arrest Joe, but she does want to question him," Fritz explained.

"Why? You've got an ID on all of them so why do you need to interrogate Joe?"

"Because statements can be retracted and his statement was based on the possibility of a deal with the DA. If that deal doesn't come through I could be left high and dry."

"Hmmm. I see. So do you just want Joe to ID the robbers as backup?"

"Basically, yes. I don't know what kind of a deal the U.S. Attorney is prepared to make but I'm wonderin' if any deal could be contingent on his willingness to talk to me and to testify."

"Have you talked to the U.S. Attorney yet, Dave?" Fritz asked.

"No. I wanted to wait until I had all the facts. I'd like to be able to negotiate the best deal possible for Joe and right now I don't have what I need to do that."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Flynn saying that they had brought in both Tom Wahl and Lonnie Coburn, Mirandized them both, and each suspect was in an interview room. They had found $42,000 in Lonnie Coburn's basement along with a gun which Tao had dropped off at ballistics. Flynn said, "Wahl's house came up clean."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Make sure someone babysits each suspect until I finish up here."

Flynn nodded and headed back into the murder room.

Brenda turned back to her phone conversation. "I've got the other two suspects in my interview rooms now, Dave. I have pretty solid evidence against one of them but nothin' besides the getaway driver's statement on the other. A young woman was murdered and I don't want to see one of them get off for lack of evidence. I need Joe Barnhill's statement."

"Why don't you interview your suspects and then let me know what you get? I'll make my decision when I hear how you make out. I'm late for a meeting so I'll expect to hear from you later." And Dave terminated the call.

"Brenda was stewing. "This is why I hate dealin' with the stupid FBI. There's no good reason I can't talk to Joe Barnhill. If he is a part of this gang, even if he wasn't inside that bank, he's as guilty of that woman's death as the others."

"Dave probably will let you interview him but you have to understand that this is almost as hard on him as it is on me."

"I shouldn't have to get anyone's permission to interview a suspect in a crime that took place in the city of Los Angeles."

"Brenda, you're getting upset prematurely. Go interview the two suspects. Maybe you'll get confessions from both of them."

Brenda picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder so quickly that she almost hit Fritz with it and stormed out of the office. He just shook his head and headed for the Electronics Room.

She stopped to ask Flynn which interview room Lonnie Coburn was in. "I want to start with him since he had the evidence in his house.

Initially, Lonnie denied any knowledge of the robberies. He said he was holding the money and the gun for a "friend". Brenda confronted him with Bobby Gant's statement and after hammering him with the evidence, she told him that they had him on the security tape. Lonnie stopped shaking his head no, looked at Brenda in surprise and blurted out "Nah, we made sure we kept our heads down."

Brenda stopped, leaned back and just smiled at him. But he refused to admit that he was the shooter so she excused herself and went into the other interview room. However, Tom Wahl immediately invoked his right to an attorney so she was unable to question him.

She stepped back into the Murder Room and asked Det. Sanchez and Lt. Flynn to go back to the Wahl house and look for the shirts he was wearing on the security tapes. She also asked them to check out the yard to see if he might have buried the evidence. "Take some uniforms with you," she ordered as she walked into her office.

Fritz decided he'd better face his wife's wrath so he also headed into her office but one look at her expression and he knew he wasn't going to be able to stave off a confrontation with the Bureau.

"I'm gonna interview Joe Barnhill whether the FBI likes it or not," Brenda confronted him.

"Brenda, please. We've worked hard to develop a good working relationship between the FBI and the LAPD. Don't ruin it now. Give Dave a chance."

"He's got until tomorrow mornin', Fritz. And whether he likes it or not I'm interviewin' Agent Barnhill."

"Brenda, you promised..."

"I promised not to arrest him. I'm not gonna arrest him. But I didn't promise not to interview him. And if the FBI thinks I'm gonna allow Tom Wahl to walk out of here, you are wrong, Fritz." She was growing angrier by the minute.

"Let's call Dave back and see if he agrees before you go charging off and creating a problem."

"Fine. But I'm not creatin' any problem. I'm abidin' by what I agreed to. It's the stupid FBI that's creatin' the problem."

Fritz didn't reply. He picked up Brenda's phone instead and dialed Dave's number as Brenda pushed the speaker phone button.

"Dave, we're back on speakerphone. Brenda's interviews only yielded partial results. She got a confession to the robbery from the suspect she believes was the shooter, although he denied that. And the other suspect lawyered up."

"I really need to interview Joe Barnhill," Brenda cut to the chase.

"All right. But I want to be there when you do."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm afraid that he will feel that he can't be honest in front of his boss. You're more than welcome to watch my interview from our Electronics Room if you'd like." she offered. That's what Fritz has done and I don't think he feels I left out anythin' of interest to the Bureau."

"No, she didn't, Dave." Fritz backed her up.

"When do you want to interview him?"

"Is he stayin' at the hospital tonight?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd like to pick him up first thing tomorrow mornin'."

"That soon? He's not a flight risk, you know."

"I may not be able to hold Tom Wahl beyond 48 hours. I'm just bringin' Agent Barnhill in for questionin'. Our agreement still holds." Brenda tried to reassure him and then she felt compelled to add, "As we agreed, if you want to arrest him I'll step aside. But if for some reason you decide not to arrest him, I probably will arrest him myself."

"I understand. Ok. I'll come to your office first thing tomorrow morning. Just don't start the interview before I get there."

"I expect I'll get started around 8:30 or 9:00. Can you be here by then?"

"No problem. I'll see you then."

"Thanks, Dave," both Brenda and Fritz said.

"See?" Fritz said, "He's a reasonable man."

Brenda didn't reply. She just fished for a piece of chocolate in her drawer and then called Provenza and ordered him to arrange for Agent Barnhill to be picked up at the hospital first thing in the morning.

"Are we arresting an FBI agent?" Provenza was incredulous.

"No. We're not arrestin' him. We're just bringin' him in for questionin', Lieutenant, so please do not Mirandize him. I want him in the interview room ready for questionin' by 8:30 tomorrow mornin'." Then she turned to Fritz and said "Before we go home I need to brief Will. And I also have a staffin' issue to discuss with him so do you want to wait for me?"

"No, I think I should head back to my office and see if I need to return any phone calls. I'll see you at home."

Brenda knocked on Will Pope's door and waited for him to answer. "I want to update you on the bank robberies case," she explained when she was seated opposite him. She concluded her update by telling him that she had ordered that Joe Barnhill be picked up early tomorrow morning for questioning.

"Did you talk to David Martin about that?" Pope asked.

"Yes, and he agreed. I don't think he's thrilled about it, though. But he knows about the evidence we have against Barnhill so he's comin' over to watch my interview in the Electronics Room. Then I believe he intends to arrest him."

Will was obviously relieved when Brenda told him that Dave consented to her interviewing Barnhill. "Good. Do you think he'll give you what you need?"

"I sure hope so. Fritz says he's basically a really good guy who felt he had no other options. I'm sure he doesn't want to see a murderer go free because of lack of evidence."

"All right. I'll probably be in the Electronics Room too, then."

"Ok. But there's somethin' else I want to discuss with you."

"What?"

"Commander Taylor believes that layoffs are comin' down the pike. Is that true?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that, Brenda. The Commissioner has to issue that kind of information and so far there's nothing official."

"Will, I am really hampered because Daniels left. I can't absorb another loss. The amount of overtime we'd have to work would cost more than a detective's salary."

"Again, nothing has come down from the Commissioner's office yet. But I don't think you have to worry right now."

"Why not?"

"Because your team is our whole counter terrorism unit. And federal law requires that we have one."

"So. This scheme you and Gabriel cooked up actually has somethin' positive about it." Brenda was surprised.

"Yes. As inconvenient as it is to have your squad go through annual training it's saved your unit quite a bit of money. And, if there are future layoffs, it probably means that your unit will be spared. But, I do have to remind you that Lieutenant Provenza is not a part of the counter terrorism unit and he's a very expensive member of your squad who happens to be eligible for retirement."

"Will, I need Lieutenant Provenza."

"I'm not threatening you, Brenda. I just want you to keep a small kernel of reality somewhere in the back of your mind."

This annoyed Brenda so she stood up and said "Well, thank you, Chief Pope," and walked out of his office.

Will watched her leave, sighed and rubbed his temples.

The next morning Brenda and Fritz arrived early. When Lt. Provenza brought Joe in, Fritz met him in the hallway and walked with him to the interview room.

"Fritz, what's going on?" Joe asked. He was sweating nervously.

"Brenda wants to interview you about the bank robberies that you've been working with Commander Taylor," Fritz replied trying to calm him.

"Why, Fritz? Is there a problem?" Joe asked.

"I think she just wants to get your point of view, Joe. Some of her evidence is pretty thin. She's looking for your help."

"All right. I'm not sure how much help I can be. Commander Taylor knows everything I know," Joe replied reluctantly.

Fritz changed the subject. "How is your wife doing?"

"She's stable. Heavily medicated but stable."

"So the insurance company changed their mind about paying for the operation?"

Joe twisted uncomfortably in his chair. "No. I found enough money for a down payment and I talked the doctor into not waiting for payment in full."

"Well, I hope she'll be ok."

"She has a chance, Fritz. Now all I can do is wait and hope for the best."

"Well, I hope this operation does the trick for her. Look, I'm sure you want to get this over with. I'm going to go find Brenda."

"Yes, I sure would. Thanks."

Fritz saw that Brenda wasn't in her office so he went to the Electronics Room where she was talking to Dave and Will. They had watched his conversation with Barnhill on the monitor. "Oh, God, I hate having to lie to him."

"You didn't lie, Fritz. I really do need to get his help. I need him to ID the other three men," Brenda said as Buzz handed her an earwig. "Dave, if you think I'm missin' somethin' please relay your questions to Buzz. Thank you." Then she excused herself and walked with Sgt. Gabriel into the interview room.

"Good mornin', Agent Barnhill. Do you remember me? I'm Brenda Leigh Johnson and this is Sgt. David Gabriel. I'm sorry to pull you in here so early but I've got a suspect I'm holdin' with very little evidence and the clock is tickin'. But before we get started, how is your wife doin'?"

Joe cleared his throat and replied nervously, "Yes, I remember you. Lorraine is stable. Thanks for asking."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Brenda smiled at him. "I think I first met her at a cocktail party not long after Fritz and I started datin'. She's a lovely woman."

"Yes, she is." Joe started to relax a little.

"Well, let's see if we can get through this case in a hurry and get you out of here, shall we?" Brenda smiled encouragingly at him and Joe nodded in agreement.

Neither she nor Gabriel Mirandized him so she started by asking what he remembered of the last two robberies. After making a mental note that he omitted any mention of having spoken to the getaway driver or seeing the two other robbers close up, Brenda asked him to describe the murder scene. She quizzed him closely about where people were positioned and what he understood as the sequence of events, smiling encouragingly as she moved forward.

As Joe answered the questions, he stopped sweating and relaxed. But that was short-lived because Brenda placed photographs of each of the other three suspects on the table in front of him. "Are... Are these the suspects?" Joe stammered. "H... Have they given statements?" He squirmed in his chair.

"Yes, Agent Barnhill. I have confessions from two of these men. But before we continue," she turned to Gabriel, "Sargent."

Gabriel Mirandized Joe and asked him if he'd like to waive his right to counsel. Joe sat staring at the photographs for a minute then his eyes welled up with tears. "Yes, I'll waive," he replied, "And I'll answer all your questions if I can get a deal."

"I'm not gonna arrest you, Agent Barnhill. But you should know that both my husband and Dave Martin are in my Electronics Room watchin' this interview. They both want to help you. My husband hasn't slept for two nights now because he cares so much about you. But in order to get a deal from the U.S. Attorney, we all need you to be completely truthful. Now, I've got statements implicating you from two of these suspects plus an eye witness. So the only way to help yourself is to cooperate fully with me."

Joe nodded his head and gave a complete statement. He described how he became involved with this gang. He said he had become friends with Tom Wahl back when they were neighbors and that they had routinely golfed together. When the insurance company had denied his wife's operation he told Tom about his financial troubles and Tom offered to help him financially provided he help the gang avoid getting caught. He told Brenda that the decision to become involved was surprisingly easy considering he had never in his whole life gotten so much as a parking ticket. "All it took was looking at my bank statement and hearing the insurance company denying coverage for the only thing that could save Lorraine's life."

In the Electronics Room, Fritz's stomach was churning. He looked at Dave but he didn't look any better.

Joe continued by telling Brenda that Tom had promised him that there would be no guns and that no one would ever get hurt. "That was the only way I could ever agree to this. Ever," he insisted.

After he described the last two robberies, the only ones he had been involved in, he ID'd Lonnie Coburn as the shooter. He again insisted that he had no idea that Lonnie had a gun and stressed that he would have turned them in if he had thought that anyone could possibly get hurt.

"How much money were you paid?" Brenda asked.

"$5,000 from each robbery. I combined that with some money my in-laws and my brother loaned me plus every penny I could scrape up. And then I begged the surgeon to accept the money as a down payment and perform the surgery. I've put my house on the market but, well, the housing market isn't good right now. That's my only hope of paying the doctor any more money."

He was quiet for a few seconds and then he continued. "I never knew I could do something like this. I've always been a law and order man. But I love Lorraine too much to just stand by and watch her die. I was desperate and there was no other way." Then he slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"I'm truly sorry, Agent Barnhill. I cannot imagine what you're goin' through, what this has cost you," Brenda said softly.

"Thank you, Chief Johnson," Joe nodded.

At that moment Dave and Fritz entered the interview room. Dave Mirandized Joe a second time and told him that he was under arrest. Fritz promised to do everything he could to help him get the best deal possible from the U.S. Attorney.

Joe stood up, handed his badge to Fritz and put his hands behind his back so Dave could cuff him. But Dave said "No cuffs, Joe. We're just going to walk out of here and go back to the FBI and call the U.S. Attorney from my office."

"Thank you," gratitude and relief were evident in Joe's voice. "Fritz, will you go explain things to Lorraine? And tell her I love her?"

"Yes, of course I will," Fritz replied with tears in his eyes. And the three men left the office.

Brenda went back to her office and slumped in her chair. She was emotionally spent. But she had little time to rest. She needed to interview Tom Wahl again so she called Lt. Provenza and asked him to have Wahl brought up from holding and put in an interview room.

When she entered the room, Wahl looked up and said "I'm not talking without my attorney."

"Fine. Then you can just listen. You've been ID'd by an eye witness and we have statements from Agent Joe Barnhill, Bobby Gant and Lonnie Coburn who all say that you were the mastermind. And Mr. Coburn says that you were the one who pulled the trigger."

"WHAT? I never shot anyone," Wahl exploded.

"Are you waivin' your right to counsel, Mr. Wahl?" Brenda's surprised tone masked the fact that she was moving in for the kill.

"Yes, I waive my rights. I never shot anyone. The gun was supposed to be one Lonnie got from a TV studio. It was not supposed to be real."

"I'm not sure I believe that, Mr. Wahl. You were the one who planned these robberies weren't you? How could you not know that your partner had a gun?"

"Yes, I planned them. But Lonnie told me that he'd gotten the gun when he worked as a stunt man for a TV show. I had no idea it was real until he shot that teller."

Brenda changed the subject. "How did Agent Barnhill become involved in your little gang?"

"He's a golfing buddy of mine. And he told me about his wife. Said he was trying to sell his house to pay for her operation. So I figured that since he was an FBI agent, he might be willing to help us stay safe in exchange for a cut, so I offered to make him an equal partner. At first he said no but he called me the next day and said he'd do it."

"How many robberies was he in on?" Gabriel asked.

"Just the last two. Look, I helped you so can I get a deal?"

"That will be up to the DA's office, Mr. Wahl," Brenda replied and left the interview room.

Will was waiting for her back in her office. "Good work," he said. "I think the Commissioner will be impressed."

"Thank you, Will. Just as soon as we can get Tom Wahl processed and I can assign the paperwork on this case, I'm goin' home. I'm exhausted."

"Of course. And why don't you take tomorrow off too?" Will suggested.

"Actually I think I want to take the rest of the week off. You have no idea how difficult this case has been on both Fritz and me."

"Ok. Fine. Just be sure to tell Provenza that he's in charge until Monday." Then Pope smiled and said, "Did I just say that?" and walked out of her office.

Brenda got home before Fritz. She poured herself a glass of Merlot and retrieved a Ho Ho from her stash and sat down on the sofa. Joel jumped up in her lap and she stroked him while sipping her wine. She looked at the Ho Ho but didn't touch it.

Soon Fritz walked in and sat beside her. Neither spoke. They both petted Joel and listened to him purr. Finally Brenda asked, "Are you ok?"

"I don't know. Arresting him was rough but telling his wife was horrible."

"How is she doin'?"

"She's stable but she's pretty heavily medicated. She cried when I told her what happened but she didn't ask any questions so I don't know how much she understands."

"Oh, please don't tell me that she was an accessory," Brenda begged.

"No. Joe said she knew nothing about it."

"Well, that's a relief. Are you hungry? I don't want anythin' but would you like me to fix some bacon and eggs for you?" Brenda asked.

"No. I'm not hungry either."

They sat on the sofa for several minutes. Finally Brenda turned on the TV to see if there was any coverage of the arrests. The reporter told of the arrests of three subjects but made no mention of the involvement of an FBI agent.

"Well, that's good news, anyway," Fritz commented.

Brenda turned the TV off after the weather report and asked Fritz, "Is the U.S. Attorney gonna give Joe a good deal?"

"I think so. She's going to ask for a very low bail. But the guy has no money. Dave said he'd try to put up the bail if it's low enough."

"You know, I was thinkin' about askin' if I could go to court with y'all when Joe's arraigned. I could tell the judge that Joe was extremely helpful and if he has a high bail maybe we could ask that he be put under house arrest until he goes to trial. He could wear a bracelet and only be allowed to go to the hospital to visit his wife. That way he could take care of her when she's ready to come home. If the judge agrees maybe no bail would be necessary."

"Yeah? Maybe that would work. But it'll depend on the judge. Some like to make examples of dirty cops. But Joe is certainly no flight risk. He told me in the car that he knew he would have to go to prison for what he'd done. He sounded resigned to it. He just wants to know that his wife will recover."

"Does he have a good lawyer?"

"I don't know. Dave is helping him get one. I'm sure he'll recommend the best one he knows."

"Well, let me know if his lawyer thinks I can help." Then after another minute of silence, Brenda added, "I talked to Will before leavin' tonight and I told him I'm takin' the rest of the week off."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Any chance you could take time off?"

"I think I can. I've got some personal time built up that Dave would like me to get off the books. Why don't we go somewhere for a long weekend?"

"Where?"

"How about renting a cabin up at Big Bear? Just the two of us... no close neighbors... peace and quiet. Doesn't that sound good?" When Brenda smiled and nodded, Fritz added, "And maybe we could even take a detour to Southeast Asia."

Brenda laughed and said, "You're certainly makin' some pretty big travel plans for just a weekend."

"Well, we would have all that time." He nuzzled her hair. "I would hate to have any of it wasted. That would be a crime and I'd sure hate to have to arrest you." Then Brenda gave her husband a long, loving kiss.


End file.
